Art Director

Location: Remote-first with occasional in-person collaboration in Norfolk, VA. We're prioritizing candidates who live within ~90 miles of Norfolk (Hampton Roads and the surrounding region).

Sway Creative Labs is looking for an Art Director who can carry an idea from the first sketch to the hundredth version without losing what made it good. You'll lead concepts on integrated campaigns, set the visual direction for your accounts, and build the systems that let that direction scale across web, social, display, print, broadcast and out-of-home.

This is hands-on art direction at an independent shop. You'll present the concept to the client, then open Figma and build the template that turns it into fifty on-brand units. In return you get real ownership of how the work looks, direct access to the principals, and a genuine say in how Sway's creative gets made. We're looking for range and a point of view, plus the systems thinking and AI fluency to execute at the pace work moves now.

What You'll Own

Creative Leadership & Concepting

• Lead concept development on integrated campaigns, bringing original, strategy-driven ideas to every brief
• Serve as creative lead on assigned accounts, presenting and defending the visual direction to clients and internal teams
• Partner with producers, copywriters, developers and media so the idea holds up in every channel and deliverable
• Give designers clear direction and useful feedback, and raise the bar on the work you touch

Systems & Production at Scale

• Turn approved concepts into Figma template systems, built with components, variants, auto-layout and variables, so anyone on the team can run them without breaking the design
• Art direct high-volume rollouts: full display sets, social systems, localized and market-specific variants, and end frames that still feel designed, not resized
• Keep files, versions and naming disciplined so the right asset is always findable

AI-Accelerated Creative

• Use Claude and other AI tools as a core part of your process: exploring concept directions, drafting layouts and copy options, generating and populating variants, and running QA passes
• Write prompts specific enough to get usable output, and hold the quality line, because AI work that only looks good at a glance doesn't ship
• Bring the techniques that work back to the team so they become how Sway works

Web & Digital

• Design digital experiences in Figma with sound UX, responsive layouts and clean developer handoff
• Direct display, email and landing page work with an eye for accessibility and spec accuracy

Brand & Print

• Lead identity projects from discovery through standards: logos, type, color systems and usage guidelines
• Prepare print-ready files with a solid grasp of production specs and vendor requirements

Broadcast, On-Set & Social

• Art direct photo and video shoots, setting direction on composition, wardrobe, set and color
• Build pre-production materials: mood boards, shot references and frame guides
• Concept social-first creative built for each platform's format and pace, not adapted from a campaign master

What We're Looking For

Core Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of art direction experience at an agency or in a comparable creative environment
• A portfolio that shows both original concept work and how those concepts scaled across channels
• Deep proficiency in Figma: components, variants, auto-layout and variables. You build systems, not artboards
• Strong command of Adobe Creative Suite: Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign
• Hands-on use of Claude or other AI tools to concept, build or scale creative, and the judgment to know which parts of the job they should and shouldn't touch
• Strong fundamentals: typography, color, composition and visual hierarchy
• The ability to run several projects at once and communicate early on timelines and scope
• Occasional travel and on-set availability

Additional Assets

• Motion and animation: directing animators, or working in After Effects or Lottie yourself
• Working knowledge of HTML and CSS
• Familiarity with digital accessibility standards (WCAG / ADA Level AA)
• Experience on tourism/destination, food and beverage, healthcare, legal, CPG or entertainment accounts

What Success Looks Like

By the end of your first year, clients will ask for you on their most important work. Campaign rollouts will be a system rather than a scramble: the second launch will go faster than the first because you built what makes it so. Designers will want to be on your projects because your direction makes their work better, and leadership will trust your creative judgment on high-visibility work.

Where This Goes

The path from Art Director toward Senior Art Director, Associate Creative Director and creative leadership is open and short. We're small enough that there's no queue. The person who proves they can set the bar and build the systems behind it gets handed more of both.

Why Sway Creative Labs

Sway is an independent agency where your work is seen by hands-on leadership. You'll work across industries and project types, with real ownership of creative decisions and a direct hand in rebuilding how Sway's work gets made.

What We Offer

• Health Plan: Three Sentara Health Plan options; Sway covers 80% of employee premiums and 50% of dependent premiums
• Dental Insurance: Sway pays 100% of employee's United Concordia Dental Plan
• 401(k): 1:1 match on the first 3% of pay; 50% match on the following 2%
• 15 Paid Vacation Days, resetting at your start date with up to a 5-day negative balance available
• 17 Paid Holidays, including your birthday, the Monday after the Super Bowl, Juneteenth, and the full week between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day
• Two-Hour Windows: Leave windows at the start (9–11am) and end (3–5pm) of the workday for personal appointments, not counted against PTO
• Remote Work Affordance: 100% remote with occasional pre-scheduled in-person meetings and on-set requirements
• Year-end performance bonus eligibility; additional bonuses available based on individual and company performance
• Upskilling: 100% reimbursement for at least one approved course, workshop, or conference annually

Salary: $65,000 – $85,000

Qualified applicants should send their portfolios, resumes, salary requirements, and optional Braveheart speeches to jobs@madebysway.com.